Battleship- A Game, Based On A Movie, Based On A Game?

There are plenty of games on the market that are based on either a board game, or a movie, this is the first time I have come across a game, that is based on a movie, that is based on a board game.

Yes folks I refer of course to BATTLESHIP by ACTIVISION, HASBRO and DOUBLE HELIX GAMES (Xbox/ps3), MAGIC POCKETS (Wii/3DS/DS) a first person shooter (FPS) with a bit of a twist.

I personally haven`t seen the film BATTLESHIP, so I can`t compare this game with it, mind you it is really a basic FPS with a very vague reference to the board game,(apparently there are copyright issues with the makers of the board game) according to the press release it is actually the same story as the movie ,but not tied into the movie storyline, so you won`t be able to meet RIHANNA and talk about umbrella`s.

BATTLESHIP itself is a straight forward FPS (First Person Shooter) with the added option of controlling your fleet of battleships, and submarines (just like in the original game)

You’re a bad/mean marine type on a training exercise in the Hawaiian Islands, when the aliens invade, and of course these guys aren`t like E.T., oh no folks, this lot are out to kick some human bottoms, and it’s your job to stop them.

If ACTIVISION is involved in this then we know that they have a long pedigree in creating some excellent FPS games, this unfortunately is not the greatest, but it isn`t half bad.

You play the character COLE MATHIS an explosives expert and your mission is to infiltrate and destroy the enemy radar, and whatever else comes along, whilst fighting the aliens on the ground, and (this is a reference to the board game) control your ships via a tactical control pad, that allows you to move your fleet around, attacking the enemy, or back up your ground troops, this feature is the more interesting part of the game, mainly because you get to equip your ships (if you collect the wildcards from dead enemies) with better armour and weapons, you even have 20 seconds of ship control where you get to bomb the enemy into oblivion, with the added bonus of being able to see your organised sea battles in real time from the ground.

The FPS gameplay isn`t too bad actually, on a par with the likes of SYNDICATE, and I did enjoy storming the enemy and engaging in pitched battles, whilst trying to organise my fleet and stop them from being wiped out.

This is what I do like about BATTLESHIP is it`s not just an FPS it also involves strategy, and a certain level of planning, as you approach each level, the aliens themselves aren`t that easy to kill and require a few shots to take them out (unless your close up and personal with a shotgun or an alien rail gun).

The bad guys are backed up by some nasty equipment like Shredders, which are rolling mines that creep up on you and explode; the best thing to do is run for it! There is an array of different types of alien, which are generally a lot harder to dispatch, which makes for a challenging experience.

The one thing I can positively say about BATTLESHIP is it isn`t boring , because you just don`t have time to be, you’re constantly being bombarded with instructions from HQ, and you have to keep checking your fleet, and helping out your squad on the ground.

Weapons are OK, you have the standard army issue semi-automatic rifle and there are plenty of ammo and you can pick up and use a variety of different alien weapons (not as many as I would have liked) the shotgun is the best up close and personal piece of kit, with the alien rail gun coming in a close second for those “lawnmower” moments, and you have the added luxury of naval back up, including bombardments and missile strikes that can be accessed from your D-pad.

There are 7 missions to complete and this takes around 6 hours, with different difficulty settings it can take longer if you like a real challenge , unfortunately there is no on line multiplayer with this game, which is unusual these days ,instead the developers have opted for a more full on campaign instead .

Summary

Personally I like BATTLESHIP it’s a fun, action packed rollercoaster of a game, OK it`s probably not the best out there, but it’s still worth checking out, the battleship element is a unique idea, and with the FPS action makes for an entertaining 6 hours, it would have been nice to have some on line play, maybe a co-op or some kind of multiplayer element, all in all a great effort form HASBRO, ACTIVISION and DOUBLE HELIX.

I give BATTLESHIP 8 out of 10, it’s a great game but not the greatest and without any on line play, a bit pricey for a 6 hour experience.